Legend
by shizuke
Summary: Kaitou Kid needs Conan's help and literally steals him away from Ran. And Conan has a feeling that Kid likes him more than he lets on. KidConan, shota. Rating will change according to chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Meitantei Conan.

Warning: Implications of shotacon/paedophile activities, homosexuality, slight OOCs, etc. especially in later chapters

Pairing: Kid/Conan especially in later chapters

A/N: I love Minami Takayama. She's the seiyuu of my favourite character in my favourite anime (not Conan). Can you guess?

* * *

**Legend : Intro**

The name Kaitou Kid was legend. Despite blatantly revealing the location of his crimes, the mysterious thief in white came and went as he pleased and never once was he caught by the authorities. His extravagant and cheeky disposition had captured hearts of young girls all over Japan and downright angered members of the police force who had failed over and over again to detain him.

And tonight, he's coming to steal the Utylina Diamond, currently in display at its temporary gallery in the assembly hall of Tei Tan High School. There was going to be a prom at the school tonight. The prom had been purposely postponed to today so that the hall would be crowded, lowering the chances of Kid being able to steal the diamond so easily.

The letter he sent to the owner of the Utylina Diamond this morning had been shown to the school administration to up the level of security around the school. The letter read: "When two hands point to the sky; endless sakura will bloom; I shall steal your diamond; but I shall not take the worthless one. My undying fan." Signed, Kaitou Kid; next to a childish drawing of a top-hat clad head with a dangling eyepiece.

The so-called 'Meitantei' Mouri Kougorou had been sent a copy of this letter also with hope that the detective could decipher the riddle-disguised prose.

"When two hands point to the sky," muttered Mouri. "Ran, isn't your school having a beauty pageant competition in tonight's prom?"

Mouri Ran, aged 17, was a student of Tei Tan High School. "Yes. But the winner would be announced only near the end of the prom."

"I got it!" exclaimed Mouri. "Kid will come for the diamond when two hands point to the sky. That means when the winner of the pageant is announced, everyone will raise their hands to the sky in a 'banzai' fashion! That is when Kid will arrive!"

Edogawa Conan, sitting at the couch, reading an insensible children's comic when he would preferred the book of 1000 reasonings, sighed in exasperation. There was no way Mouri was right. His reasoning sounded absolutely ridiculous. He buried his nose into the comic, in which Conan had already slit in the copied message from Kid.

'Two hands pointing to the sky,' he thought. 'I can't believe he's using the oldest riddle in the book. _Two hands pointing to the sky_ obviously refers to the two hands of the clock. When the two hands of the clock point to the sky, he will take action. Afternoon has already passed so he will take the diamond at midnight. No doubt about it.

'Now the next line: _endless sakura will bloom_. There aren't any sakura blooming in this time of year. The last time the sakura tree in Tei Tan High School bloomed was three years ago. Three years ago, a student who was practicing in the school hall was kidnapped. Hold on, is that idiot actually going to kidnap someone? Why did he use the word _endless_ before sakura, though?

'_I shall steal your diamond_. That one is straightforward. He's going to steal the diamond. _But I shall not take the worthless one_. What does he mean by that? Does he think that there was going to be a duplicate of the Utylina? This time, nobody had bothered making one. The Utylina Diamond wasn't that precious. Made out of cheap rock and heated to the extent that it looked like a priceless diamond.

'Wait a minute! Is that what Kid meant when he said he wasn't going to steal the worthless one? He isn't going to steal the Utylina. Is there some other diamond in the school? Shit. The last line: _My undying fan._ He said something about kidnapping in the second line. Perhaps he was going to kidnap one of his fans? But how to tell which one? Almost all the girls in Tei Tan were in love with that bastard Kid.'

"Conan-kun?" started Ran, her voice layered with concern. "Are you okay? You've been glaring so hardly at the comic for five minutes."

Snapping out of his trance, Conan put on his childish guise in front of Ran once again. "It's nothing Ran-neechan. Just thinking about something from school." He added an innocent chuckle to make his façade more believable and Ran, as always, bought it.

There was a knock on the door. It was Suzuki Sonoko, Ran's best friend. "Ran!" she exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"Let's go?" echoed Ran. "To where?"

"To find me something to wear for tonight's prom!" she screeched as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But I thought you just bought that blue dress," replied Ran.

"That was before I learned that Kid-sama will be attending tonight's prom! Don't you think it's so exciting, Ran? I'll have to get the best dress ever. When Kid-sama arrives, he will see this princess among the crowd of peasants and cannot resist kidnapping her along with the diamond. Then he'll bring this Sonoko to his secret hideaway and forbidden love between captor and captive will bloom!" She sighed in ecstasy.

"Uh, Sonoko, isn't that too much?" asked Ran hesitantly.

"What?" yelled Sonoko. "Don't you want your best friend to find happiness? And who better to find it with than the dashing Kaitou Kid-sama!"

'Oi, oi,' thought Conan. 'Is this what high school girls really fantasize about?' Suddenly, something dawned upon him. What Sonoko had just said actually made sense. Kid mentioned some sort of kidnapping. And the last line of the poem was '_My undying fan._' There was probably no greater Kaitou Kid fan than Suzuki Sonoko. But would Kid actually kidnap Sonoko?

"What happened to Ita-kun? I thought you were going to the prom with him," said Ran.

"I cancelled our date," said Sonoko, without an ounce of guilt. "Love must be free! How can I capture Kid-sama's attention when I'm bound to someone else during the prom? Absolutely not. I'm going without a date. You come with me, okay, Ran? Don't bring any guys along. Just me and you."

Ran reluctantly agreed. Her friend was acting slight demented today,

"Come on, let's go find the perfect dress!" squealed Sonoko, dragging Ran out the door.

Conan returned to his own ponderings. If he wanted to stop Kid tonight, he would have to attend the prom as well. But how? Although, technically he was a student of Tei Tan High School, they wouldn't let a small child in. Perhaps if he went with Ran…

* * *

That night, bright lights illuminated the hall of Tei Tan High School. Cheerful laughter littered the atmosphere, clashing with the tense aura emanating from the police officers stationed around the hall. Several police officers stood at the entrance of the hall, checking the guests' I.D., belongings and what not. Kaitou Kid was showing tonight. This was no joke.

But the students of Tei Tan High School seemed to think so. Girls dressed in their best attire with bright make-up, making them look prettier than they actually were. And more than half of the female population of Tei Tan showed up without the date, having the idea that Kid would not notice them if they came with a male companion.

Sonoko fumed. Her dress was one of the most expensive with a flowing dark velvet skirt, and soft chiffon gracing her bare shoulders. Her hair was done up in an elegant knot. But no matter how beautiful she looked, she still fumed. 'How dare the others have the same idea? Did they think that they can steal Kid-sama away from me?' she thought, raging with jealousy. But she had a sort of quiet confidence that Kid-sama would still pick her.

There was another reason for Sonoko's annoyance, though. It was the presence of a certain teenager disguised as a boy, currently holding on to Ran's hand. "Ran, I thought I told you to come dateless with me," said Sonoko. "So why is that brat here?"

Conan scowled inwardly. 'Who're you calling brat?'

Ran sent Sonoko an apologetic look. "Don't get so angry, Sonoko? I don't know why but Conan-kun insisted that he want to come along. And otou-san is going to be out with the police tonight, I can't leave him alone at home. Besides, doesn't he look great?"

Sonoko glanced dirtily at Conan. He looked like a mix between striking and cute. He wore a small cream cashmere sweater with a dark brown overcoat. Jeans peeped out from underneath the coat. When his parents found out that their son, Kudo Shinichi, had shrunk into Edogawa Conan, they had gone on a shopping spree all around the world to get expensive mini clothes for him. His parents were just that kind of people. They were actually just travelling for fun. Conan's current outfit was in the last package of clothing his parents had sent him. It was the closest he could get to formal wear.

"Fine, let's just go get something to drink," said Sonoko.

"Ran-neechan, I need to use the toilet," said Conan.

"Alright. Be careful, okay?" said Ran, leaving Conan.

Once Ran and Sonoko were gone, Conan abandoned his childlike façade and glanced around. Nothing, save the police officers, look out of place in the hall. The Utylina Diamond was displayed on a pedestal in a glass casing on the stage at the front of the hall. Conan squeezed between the crowds to get to the diamond. There must be something he had missed. He still had not cracked Kid's riddle completely.

The diamond glittered under the lights. The irony of it was worth admiring. A worthless stone crafted carefully can be more beautiful than an expensive rock cut roughly. Conan admired it for a while before bringing his mind back to the riddle.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not decipher the last two lines completely. _But I shall not take the worthless one. My undying fan._ Clenching his fist in frustration, the image of Kid's smirk and taunting voice danced around his head.

_My undying fan._ Two hours to midnight. It was going to be a long wait.

* * *

The beauty contest started at half past ten. Any beautiful girl in the crowd would be pulled onstage next to the diamond. In the first round, there were ten contestants. Sonoko and Ran were among them. And the other eight contestants had dressed extravagantly to impress Kid as well. Only Ran felt out of place.

Conan watched in amusement three feet from the stage where the pageant was held. The contestants were asked several questions about their love life and so on. When it was Ran's turn, Conan perked his ears and paid full attention.

"Mouri Ran," said the pageant host, Takashima of Class 3-B. "How is your love life? Any complaints? Are you content? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Uh, that's a little bit too straightforward," said Ran sheepishly. "So far, I have had no boyfriends…"

"But many had proposed," added Sonoko. "I pity them. All turned down."

"Sonoko!" exclaimed Ran, her cheeks flushing red.

"Is that really true?" asked Takashima. "Well then, Ran-san. You must be waiting for the perfect guy. Do you have any guy you like now? Perhaps among the crowd?"

Ran shook her head. "The person I like isn't here tonight. He's busy with something else and I haven't really seen him in ages. But we've known each other since we were kids. And he understands me the most."

Conan stayed silent. 'Ran…'

"Ooh, how romantic," jested Takashima, before moving on to Sonoko. "Suzuki Sonoko. You're looking very lovely today. Are you dressing up for anyone special, hm?"

"Of course!" said Sonoko, full of vigour. "I'm waiting for Kid-sama." This caught the attention of all girls in the hall. Yes, Kaitou Kid was coming. Who could forget? Certainly not them. And certainly not Conan.

'I'm waiting for you, bastard. Come quickly.'

* * *

Conan looked at the clock on the wall. It was 15 minutes to midnight and the beauty pageant was coming to an end. Conan was still lax. Kid hardly ever came before the appointed time of their unofficial rendezvous. They were going to announce the winner of the beauty pageant.

"Everybody, we have the votes from the audience and the points from the judges. May the winner of tonight's beauty pageant be swept off your feet by Kid-sama!" gushed Takashima. "The envelope please!" An envelope was placed on his outstretched hand. "Who is the winner?" As Takashima was about to open the envelope, it disappeared. "Huh? Where did it go?"

"Hello, everybody," said a voice from above. Everybody looked up. There in all of his white glory, stood Kaitou Kid…upside down. His feet were stuck to the ceiling, but for some reason, his cape remained fixed to his back.

There were various reactions. The students gasped and squealed while the police informed their chiefs and tried to climb the walls, to no avail, of course.

Conan was shocked. But it wasn't midnight yet. He checked his watch. It _was _midnight. The time on the wall clock had been 15 minutes early. Conan popped open his watch and aimed the tranquilizer at Kid. He smirked. This would be easy. Kid was standing at such a vulnerable spot.

"Not so fast, Tantei-kun," said a voice behind him. A gloved hand closed the watch. Conan turned around sharply. It was Kid. And he was smirking.

"How?" Conan looked at the ceiling. Kid was still there. And yet he was beside him. "You…"

Suddenly, Kaitou Kids appeared everywhere. The clones of the thief were only balloons. They blew till they burst, scaring the people. Conan wanted to glare at the Kid beside him but he was gone.

The Kid on the ceiling began talking again. "Sorry, everybody. My goal here today is not to entertain you. I have come to take something I have wanted for quite some time now. 'When two hands point to the sky; endless sakura will bloom; I shall steal your diamond; but I shall not take the worthless one. My undying fan.' Have you figured it out, Tantei-kun?"

Everyone was murmuring. Who was this Tantei-kun Kid keeps on acknowledging? Conan glared straight at him.

"Now," continued Kid. "Like Takashima said, the winner of the beauty pageant will get their feet swept by moi. And the winner is…" He opened the envelope slowly and took out the card. "Can you guess?"

"Is it me, Kid-sama?" yelled Sonoko. The other contestants were shrieking as well.

'If it's Ran, I'll kill him,' thought Conan.

"Alright," said Kid. "The winner, the one who I will be taking with me tonight is … Kudo Shinichi!"

There were several collective gasps. The students' first reaction was to wonder aloud if this Kudo Shinichi person was actually one of the beauty pageant contestants. The second reaction was to ask aloud if Kudo Shinichi was present tonight, for he had not shown up in school for ages.

"Shinichi?" asked Ran loudly in concern. "You know where Shinichi is?"

Kid merely smirked at her. "He's right here, jo-chan. Right in front of our eyes."

Meanwhile, Conan didn't really know how to respond. To take precaution because Kid might have actually figured out his real identity; or respite and be outraged that the bastard was threatening to spill his secret to Ran.

"And even if he isn't here, I could always take his relative," continued Kid, giving Conan a meaningful glance. Damn him, he was playing with him. Secretly telling that he knew Conan's true identity and that he had the power to expose it but not just yet.

For the moment, Ran seemed to have put two and two together. The only 'relative' of Shinichi's that was in the hall at this moment was – "Conan-kun!" she yelled.

But it was too late. Conan realised too late that the Kid on the ceiling had disappeared with a smoky explosion and had plopped onto the ground behind him. 'Let's go, Tantei-kun,' he whispered, scooping Conan's small body into his arms.

Before Conan could try to escape, Kid was already running up the stairs to the rooftop of the building. He was fast, this Kaitou Kid.

"Put me down, you bastard," snapped Conan. "There is no benefit in you kidnapping me. You'd only get yourself caught."

Kid laughed raucously. "You should've known from the beginning that I've come to take you. The line _I shall steal your diamond_. The Utylina diamond is in Tei Tan High School. You already knew that Tei Tan meant 'detective' spelt backwards, Kudo Shinichi. The detective diamond of Beika city. Yes, I know who you are. And I specifically stated _my undying fan_. Only you among the crowds of teens have been so thoroughly fixated on me. Who else but you, Tantei-kun. Or should I say, Kudo-kun?"

"How did you find out?" asked Conan gravely.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," laughed Kid. "And besides, I would be stupid to expose the source of my findings to you, wouldn't I?"

"You _are_ stupid," smirked Conan. "Stay here any longer and you'll get caught."

As if right on cue, footsteps could be heard running up the stairs to the rooftop. Kid smirked. "You underestimate me, Tantei-kun. Kid hugged Conan closer to his chest as he released his hang-glider and leapt off the rooftop.

The hang-glider was caught by the wind and soon they were sailing through the sky. Behind them, Conan could hear his name being shouted out.

"Ran!" cried out Conan, recognising the person on the rooftop.

"Conan-kun!" she shouted, tears of worry springing to her eyes. But Kid was not turning back. He expertly flew his hang-glider past a tall building and cross out of Ran's point of vision.

"Let me go!" demanded Conan, kicking Kid with his tiny feet,

"With pleasure." Kid released Conan slightly. It was only then did Conan realise the altitude at which they were flying at. Conan desperately clung to the hang-glider. Kid supported him. "Glad you changed your mind. Now, on to Osaka."

"Osaka?"

"There is something there I want you to take a look at," said Kid. "Something I believe only Kudo Shinichi can solve."

* * *

_Tsuzuku (2 b continued)..._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Meitantei Conan.

Warnings: stated in the first chapter.

Pairing: Kid/Conan

A/N: Sorry for the very late update. I kinda forgot how I wanted to continue this story. I still haven't remembered actually. This is a whole new take on continuing from the first chapter. Thank you for all your encouraging reviews and I hope you'll like this chapter as well.

* * *

**Legend: The Road from Beika to Osaka**

_"Yo, this is Hattori Heiji. I'm not available right now so please leave a message after the beep, yeah?"_

_"Heiji, hurry up! We're going to be late for school!"_

_"_Sei yo_, Kazuha! I'm trying to record a message here!"_

_"Are you stupid? Can't you record and walk at the same time? Come on!"_

_"Heiji, you forgot your lunch!"_

_"_Oba-han_? Ooh, sushi and egg rolls! _Ookini!_"_

BEEP.

Conan frowned at the hilarity in the background of Hattori's answering machine and shook his head. The Kansai detective's family sounded every bit as crazy as his own adopted family at the Mouri Detective Agency. He looked at the woman sitting opposite him, who was still sleeping soundly, and then at the door of the train carriage. It remained closed.

Pressing the cellphone close to his face, he said, "Hattori, it's me. I'm with Kaitou Kid right now. He says he needs my help on some case. He won't tell me much about it yet. We're now heading towards Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen using the Hikari service, so we'll reach the Shin-Osaka station at approximately 1600 hours. If you receive this message in time, please come to the station. I need your help. Don't call this number."

Conan hung up and quickly slipped the cellphone back into the sleeping woman's bag just as the door of the carriage slid open, revealing Hattori Heiji. Except that it wasn't him.

Conan glared balefully at the dark-skinned teenager. "I bet this is just a big joke to you, huh, Kid?"

'Hattori' grinned. "How can you tell?"

Conan turned away spitefully, biting out, "You look like you're having _sooo_ much fun."

"Don't be like that," coaxed Kid, taking a seat next to Conan smilingly. "You haven't been to Osaka in forever, right? Consider this an all-expsense paid holiday."

"Why did you kidnap me?"

Kid laced his fingers together behind his head and grinned. "I think I already told you why."

"Yeah, you have a case," sneered Conan. "But you haven't told me a single detail about the case. How am I supposed to 'help' you, if you won't even tell me anything?"

"If I'd told you earlier, you would've told everything to your little Kansai friend, wouldn't you?"

Conan turned red. He'd thought he'd been sneaky enough. He supposed that was what he got for trying to out-sneak a world-renowned thief. "Well, since you already know, are you going to tell me anything or not?" He gasped in surprise when Kid suddenly cupped his cheek. He jumped back, pushing Kid away with all his might.

Kid laughed at his reaction. "All in good time, Tantei-kun. All in good time."

Annoyed, Conan sat as far away from Kid as possible and stared out the window. Everything outside was a blur. The fault of such a fast train was that before you could lock your attention on any one particular object in the scenery, it's gone. As a young Kudo Shinichi, Conan used to get headaches trying to focus on everything he could see out the train window. His mother had teased him about it; that he was so desirous to see and know everything in front of him that it either made him endearing or formidable.

In a way, Kid was the same. He played jokes, endeared himself to the general public, and yet, was as easy to trap as mist. Conan looked at Kid out of the corner of his eye. The thief, still dressed as Hattori, was an enigma. He wasn't a criminal, so it made sense that he didn't think like criminals. Maybe the day Kid would be caught was the day the someone understood the ways of his mind.

"Do you want to know?" Kid suddenly said, making Conan jump in surprise. "The winer of last night's beauty pageant."

"Does it concern the case you want me to solve?" asked Conan. Kid shook his head. "Then, no."

Kid smirked. "Cold as always. I get the feeling that you only want to see me when I'm in the middle of stealing something."

"I have no business with you otherwise," said Conan drily.

"You're just a busybody."

"Call it what you want. It's my job to stop you from doing yours."

"Now that's just troublesome, isn't it."

"_You _are troublesome."

"Why, I'm flattered, Tantei-kun," said Kid, fluttering his lashes. Conan made a face. He did not want to see Hattori fluttering his lashes at him. Ever.

Kid smiled at him languorously. Then, they lapsed into silence. The sleeping woman woke up when a child, who was running along the corridor tripped over his own feet and bawled loudly. She stood up unsteadily, leaving the carriage to get a hot drink at the cafeteria section of the train. The two boys sat alone, watching the trees zip by so quickly they were a stripe of green.

"Hey, mind if I ask you a question?"

"You kidnapped me without question but you want my permission to ask me a question?" asked Conan in an incredulous tone without looking at his companion. When Kid didn't say anything, Conan sighed. "Okay, what is it?"

"Do you remember the near-bombing of the Tokyo Tower?"

Conan thought for a while, racking his brain for the correct memory. He had been involved in several cases that had taken place in the Tokyo Tower. There had been a snatch-thief case, that case where a corpse was found in the public bathroom near the tower, and even that one case that involved a corrupted policeman who used Tokyo Tower as a place to liaise with his black market handlers.

But yes, the bombing. The one where he had been trapped in an elevator shaft with Officer Takagi with a mercury-levered bomb strapped to the top of the elevator. How could he forget? He had nearly revealed to Officer Takagi his true identity. He couldn't imagine the mess he would have had to deal with if he had.

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?" he deadpanned back at Kid.

"That was a pretty dangerous incident, huh?"

"Yep."

"I mean, they had you dismantling the bomb and everything."

"What's your point?"

"Weren't you afraid of dying?"

The relatively easy atmosphere between them suddenly took a plunge. There was an edge of seriousness in Kid's voice; one that made Conan pause and look at Kid. But Kid wasn't looking back at him. For whatever reason Kid was asking him this, it must be important to him. Conan returned his gaze out the window. "Of course I was, idiot. I was terrified."

"Then why did you -"

"Would it have helped the situation if I acted any differently? If I'd told Officer Takagi that I was in fact actually really scared that my last moments would be with him trapped in a miserable elevator? That before I died, I wanted to see Ran in my true form; tell her in my real body, in my real voice, how I felt about her?" Conan harrumphed and dug deeper into his seat. "I don't want to die as Conan. Conan has nothing. Everything that I have not doesn't belong to me 'cos Edogawa Conan doesn't exist. I need to become Kudo Shinichi again for it to mean anything. _Then_, I won't be afraid of dying."

Kid chuckled, but it lacked any humour or joy. "You really are something, Tantei-kun," he said. And although he said nothing beyond that, Conan got the feeling that Kid was angry at him. Indignant, Conan crossed his arms and didn't talk to Kid for the rest of the ride.

X

Hattori yawned widely as he threw himself onto the couch in front of the television. Today had been a long day. He had skipped his morning classes to go check out a rumour about a dead teenager a postman had run into in Abeno-ku, but his leads were dead ends. Traditionally, he could just classify this incident as a red herring but he got the weird feeling that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to cover up something. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. Maybe he was thinking too much.

He took out his cellphone to check for any new messages when he saw the list for two unheard messages.

BEEP.

_"Hattori-sama, I'm a representative of your fan club at school and -"_

Hattori deleted the message immediately. He really didn't want to know what his crazy fan club was planning this time. As if the time they stormed the local police station and demanded that Hattori be given an official detective title for his work wasn't bad enough. His father had glared at him for weeks!

The next message was from Kudo. Hattori sat up straighter when he heard the shrunken detective's voice. It wasn't every day that Kudo called him. But by the end of the voice message, Hattori was cursing. He checked his watch. It was half past four. Thirty minutes after the time Kudo had predicted he would reach Osaka with Kid.

Still swearing aloud to himself, Hattori grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. Maybe he could still make it in time!

X

Hattori didn't come. Conan sighed dejectedly. Asking Hattori to help him had been a long shot, considering he had only reached his answering machine service. But Hattori would hear his message sooner or later and Conan could trust him to pass the message on to the Beika police, who were looking for him. And when his friends came looking for him...

Conan slid his Shonen Tantei badge discreetly into his pocket as Kid returned with a hot dog. It was unlikely that Kid knew about the two-way microphone function of his badge, but it was better if he didn't notice it at all.

Kid bit happily into his snack. "Sorry, I was really hungry. Didn't eat since last night. Can't eat before heists, you know. Nerves. You want some?" he asked, brandishing the bitten sausage and bread at Conan, who made a face.

"It's okay. I don't want hot dog," muttered Conan.

"Okay then, let's go for _okonomiyaki_!" said Kid enthusiastically, smashing the rest of the hot dog into his mouth and throwing the crumpled wrapper into the bin. "I know the best place; it's somewhere around here!" He started walking merrily in the direction of the restaurant.

Conan raised an eyebrow. "Oi, oi, is this how you treat a hostage? By leaving him behind?"

"Where can you run?" asked Kid, looking over his shoulder.

Conan sighed, pretending to concede defeat. However, when Kid tore his gaze away from him, Conan quickly grabbed the crumpled wrapper from the bin and hid it in his handkerchief. He then quickly chased after Kid, easily falling into step with him but refusing to look at him. If Kid saw Conan stifling a smile, he might suspect something.

"I think it's time I told you about my case."

Conan did a double take and then glared at him suspiciously. "What? Not afraid that I'll tell my friends about it?"

"Not anymore. They should already know about it by now. That is, if they managed to figure out my riddle. Then again, with Nakamori-keibu in the squad, you never know what ridiculous theories they could come up with," said Kid.

Conan raised an eyebrow. "You planted another riddle? _Ceh_, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that this is all a game to you."

"Hmm? How'd you know?" asked Kid.

Conan looked at Kid with disbelief. _This guy obviously has too much free time!_ "Well, since I don't have the advantage of having your riddle, will you tell me about this elusive case already?"

Kid pushed open the door of the restaurant and entered after him. The two of them occupied a corner booth for privacy and over the sizzling of batter, meat and veggies, Kid leaned over. Pretending to be concentrating on making his _okonomiyaki_, he said, "You see, in three days time, there will be a DeBeers jewelry exhibition held in the Osaka Municipal Museum."

Conan rolled his eyes. Of course it was about jewelry. It was _always _about jewelry.

Kid continued, "And in that exhibition, there's this diamond called the Millennium Star. I need you to help me steal it."

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Meitantei Conan and its characters belong to Gosho Aoyama.

A/N: It's here! The super-long chapter 3! Oh no, the yaoi/shounen-ai content is low! What happened? Not to worry, this is only the third chapter! There is more KidConan love to come! Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter!

A/N 2: I would like to thank everyone who reads this especially those who have been patient with me in updating this story. I would very much like to reward you with some shotacon but it's too early.

* * *

**Legend: Kid and Conan Part 1**

Conan blinked. He wanted to rub his eyes and make sure he's not dreaming or maybe had accidentally ingested a hallucinogenic - which won't be the first time, morbidly enough - because there was no way that Kaitou Kid - the Heisei Lupin, the Moonlight Magician - just asked for _his _help to steal a diamond. He was a detective, for crying out loud! Was Kid out of his mind?

"Tantei-kun, your _okonomiyaki_ is getting cold."

Conan looked down at his plate and sure enough, there was a healthy slab of batter cake on his plate. When did that get there? He ate slowly in small bites; his appetite barely there. When Kid noticed, he said, "I'm not going to feed you anything more tonight."

Conan glared at him and took a large, vicious bite out of his serving.

"Look," said Kid, "just let it simmer in your head for a while. Get used to the idea -"

"I'm not going to help you," interrupted Conan.

"What did I just say about letting it simmer?"

"I don't care what you say. I won't help you steal anything!

"I think you're forgetting the status quo here. I'm the abductor and you're the abductee. You're in no position to object my request here."

"I will _never_ steal anything. Much less for you," said Conan stubbornly. "And I'll eventually escape from you anyway. You won't kill me and there's no way you can stay alert all the time. And when you do lose your guard, I'll get away and contact the police."

Kid donned his signature smirk, recognisable even under his Hattori disguise. "And why are you telling me your plan? Now I'll know what you're up to. Or are you purposely feeding me a false plan so I won't watch out for any other alternative plan you might've thought up?"

Conan looked away coolly. "Maybe."

Kid laughed. "Finish up your meal. I've got to find a place for us to spend the night."

X

Michael waits in

lengthy pause at the

nidus of all; striking evil's

umbilicus rendering him

stark at the first beginning.

Help me for I am deficient.

- KAITOU KID.

X

Ran lifted her head from her hands. It was five fifteen. She felt sticky and a mess. She has not had a shower since before the prom yesterday, but her unmanageable hair was the last thing on her mind. She's been sitting in the police station since yesterday night, refusing to leave until more news about Conan and Kid reached them. Looking at her feet, she whispered, "Conan-kun, what could Kaitou Kid want with you?"

Mouri, who had failed in persuading her to go home and rest, sat beside her feeling decidedly worn and tired. "I want to know too. What could that glorified thief want with a brat?" He shut his mouth when Ran glared at him. "I-I'll go help out with the riddle."

"Don't worry, Ran," said Sonoko. She didn't hold vigil at the station like Ran but came in the morning to give Ran moral support. "That _chibi_ may be annoying sometimes, but he knows how to take care of himself."

Ran offered Sonoko a weak smile. Sonoko was right. Conan has always been a resourceful little boy. So much like Shinichi when he had been a kid. Tears sprung to her eyes. _Where are you Shinichi? Why aren't you here when I need you?_

The police were working without rest. Some of them had pulled all-nighters and were looking worse for wear. The Shonen Tantei group visited the station every two hours with Professor Agasa to check if there was any progress. And in those moments, Haibara, the little cold girl who usually did not show emotion, looked worried. They were all waiting for something. Anything.

The phone rang. Officer Takagi picked it up. "_Hai_, this is the Beika Police Station. How may I - What? You've got news about Kid?" Everyone in the room snapped towards in alert attention. "Yes, yes, and what is your name? Hattori Heiji? Wait, aren't you the son of Osaka's head -"

"_You don't have time to care about that right now!_" Hattori's reply was so loud the entire room heard him, even with his thick Osaka accent. Takagi wisely put him on speakerphone. "_Listen to me. Ku - uh - I mean, that little detective guy left a message on my phone saying that Kid is bringing him to Osaka. They arrived at the Shin-Osaka at 4 p.m.. The Osaka police are combing the station for any clues and witnesses right now. Since this case involves Kaitou Kid, the police force of Osaka has agreed to team up with the Beika police to retrieve Ku - I mean, the little guy. So if you want to help, send your people over to Osaka. That's all I have to say!_"

The line went dead.

"Takagi, Shiratori, you're coming with me," said Officer Megure. "Kisaragi, book three tickets for the first train leaving for Osaka right now."

"I want to come too!" said Officer Sato. "Conan-kun's helped me out many times. There's no way I'm not repaying the favour. Chiba, you're coming too, right?" Officer Chiba nodded.

"Okay, fine. Five tickets, Kisaragi," conceded Megure. "But I wonder, why is Kid bringing Conan to Osaka?"

"For the sights? It's almost fireworks' season," ventured Takagi. His guess was met with many disparaging looks. "Never mind," he muttered meekly.

"The De Beer jewel collection exhibition," suggested Haibara.

"That's right," chimed Shiratori in realisation. "De Beer is a well-known company that has many grade A stones in their collection. The exhibition is opening in two days at the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art."

"That must be it," said Megure with a nod. "Let's go, everyone. We don't have time to waste."

"Come on, _otou-san_. We're going too," said Ran, hooking an hand around Mouri's arm and dragging him towards the car. Sonoko followed close behind while the Shonen Tantei gang all piled up into Professor Agasa's car. It went without saying that everyone was going.

_Wait for us, Conan-kun, _thought Ran. _We're coming for you._

X

Whoever Kaito Kid truly was, he must be rich. When Kid had said that he needed to find a place for them to spend the night, Conan had visualised an inn, or a motel, _not_ a four-star hotel, complete with spa privileges and a view.

Under the alias of Masumoto Nakamine, Kid got a single room with two beds. There was no balcony in their room, which was probably Kid's intention from the beginning to prevent him from escaping. The windows couldn't be opened either. And the only exit - the room door - was fixed to a device that would explode and set off the smoker detectors if Conan tried to open it without Kid's consent.

With a simple device and calculation, Kid had turned their hotel room into a veritable prison.

Conan fell back onto his feather-soft bed. It felt good. After months of sleeping on the futon next to Mouri's bed, this was heaven. He sat up when Kid emerged from the bathroom, no longer dark-skinned and disguised as Hattori Heiji. Instead, he was dressed in pale blue pajamas and wearing a gaudy Night Baron mask over his face to conceal his features.

"Where'd you find time to get pajamas?" asked Conan conversationally.

"I have a couple of doppelgangers who run errands for me," joked Kid. He pointed at the cupboard near the toilet and sat down on the edge of his bed, toweling his hair. "The hotel provides them. You can choose to wear a yukata to sleep if you want but I don't think they have one in your size."

Conan nearly burst out laughing. This had stopped feeling like a kidnapping since Kid paid for their bill at the _okonomiyaki_ restaurant and asked if he wanted some ice-cream. Kid has no prior record of keeping hostages. So either he must really suck at being a captor or he's actually a nice person. Conan shook his head. "Why are you still keeping me? I already told you that I won't help you. No matter what you say."

"Nope. You will help me," said Kid. "I'm certain of it."

"Why?" asked Conan suspiciously.

"Because I know your secret, Tantei-kun ," Kid singsong-ed. "If you don't help me, I'll tell _everyone_ that you are Kudo Shinichi."

* * *

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This story takes all sorts of weird turns, haha. Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors. Feel free to point them out.

* * *

**Legend: Kid and Conan Part 2**

Kid leered playfully at him, as if he was a kid who found the cookie jar. "You're going to help me, aren't you? There's no way you'd risk exposing your true identity. Not when you've tried so hard all along to protect the people around you." He stood up. "So, I have to s -"

"No."

Kid did a rather comical double take. "What?"

"I'm still not helping you," said Conan stubbornly.

"But - but I'll expose you!"

"You're lying," said Conan. "Just now, when you first threatened to expose me, you sat down and kept your legs stiff and very still. You were anxious about the lie so you put extra effort to make sure your legs don't twitch or do anything to give your nervousness away, but as a result, you look too stiff. Then when you finished, you stood up immediately to shake it off in attempt to hide it."

Kid stared at him for a long time, as if at a loss of what to say.

Conan continued, "You're usually a better liar than this. Which means that this heist ... is different, isn't it? There's something important at stake. That's why you want my help so badly."

Kid smirked. "As expected of you, Tantei-kun. You could spot the nervous tells."

"What? You mean did those tells on purpose?"

"Like you said. I _am_ a better liar," said Kid smugly. Conan fumed. Just when he thought that Kid was a little pitiful. "And you're right. This heist is not that simple." Conan frowned. Kid was using his serious voice again. The one that made Conan feel like he was going to hear something he really wasn't going to like. "The exhibition is going to be held in two days' time and the Millennium Star is their centerpiece. The diamond will be coming in from the Ginza Matsuya store in Tokyo to the Hankyu Umeda Store in Osaka tomorrow, where it will be stored until the day of exhibition. Maximum security is placed on it at all times."

"So?" asked Conan. "This sounds like the kind of security plan you break through every time. What's so different about this one?"

"The difference is that this is not the first time I'd threatened to steal that diamond."

Conan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The DeBeers exhibition was supposed to be held two weeks ago in Tokyo's Museum of Art. Three days before it was slated to open, I sent a riddle to Hasegawa Yuichi, the director of the DeBeers branch in Japan. Two days later, he announced that the exhibition was to be postponed and to be held in Osaka. At first, I thought Hasegawa felt so worried about my note that he moved the exhibition. But a day before he gave that announcement, this was found in front of his office."

Kid took out a Polaroid. It was photo a corpse. It's face was beaten bloody beyond recognition. Conan recoiled slightly from the image. Of all the corpses he'd ever seen, this was one of the grossest. "Who's this? Any relation to President Hasegawa?" asked Conan.

"Not as far as records go. Fingerprints and DNA match him to a German called Hans Voldeck. He moved to Osaka from Munich five years ago as a business expatriate in charge of the Mouawad jewelry stores. There is no record of him ever meeting up or even knowing Hasegawa despite the two of them being in the same field of precious stones," said Kid. He put away the photo.

"Autopsy shows that he was killed by a bullet to the heart. The damage to his head was done after he died. Also, we have reason to believe that he didn't die the in the clothes he was found in. The red sweater he wore was not stained with the amount of blood he should've lost. The doctors found black fiber in the bullet wound. The hypothesis is that this guy died wearing something black," said Kid.

"So, I dug around a little deeper. This guy is _one of them_. " His eyes flitted up to catch Conan's gaze in a meaningful look. "Hans Voldeck; code name _Amaretto_."

X

Haibara woke up with a sudden start. It was the same nightmare she had on and off again. In the nightmare, the Black Organisation found her. They killed Conan, the kids, the professor and everyone she has come into contact with since she shrunk. They destroyed the life she painstakingly built and dragged her back to the labs. In those labs, she would spend the rest of her life helping them make other people miserable.

Nothing good ever happened after she has that nightmare. She pulled her legs closer and attempted to forget about it.

She nearly jumped when Hattori looked at her from his seat in front and asked, "Are you alright?"

They arrived at Osaka half an hour ago. Hattori had been there to greet them and had borrowed a police car to take them to the station when the Osaka police were working on Kid's riddle.

Haibara nodded solemnly. She's never told anyone about her nightmare. She wasn't about to start now.

Hattori scratched his nose awkwardly. "You know, I once had a dream that he died." Professor Agasa turned to look at him as well. The rest of the Shonen Tantei group were napping in the back seat after the long train ride. "I dreamt that after an investigation, the criminal got loose and knifed Ku - uh, I mean Conan, in the gut. In the end, he _really _got knifed in the gut," laughed Hattori. "Didn't die though. He always comes out fine."

Haibara, at a loss of what to say, blinked.

Hattori smiled, as if reminiscing a good memory. "Yeah, he always comes out fine," he repeated. "Don't worry."

Haibara crossed her arms and looked out the car window. Osaka flew past her. She didn't think Hattori understood the gravity of the situation she and Conan have been put in. So she wasn't going to stop worrying. Not until _they _were dead. Not until she saw with her own eyes that the people that hunted her tirelessly were bloodied and lifeless on the floor.

In front of them, the traffic light turned red. The police car slowed to a stop before the intersection. Haibara gave a surprised gasp when the car next to them sped quickly past the red light. Detective Toyama, who was driving them, shouted at the car and made to give chase but Hattori told him to ignore it. They had more important things to attend to.

Behind them, Haibara was trying to find her voice. She wanted to tell them that they _couldn't ignore that car_. They mustn't. It was the key to all their answers. It was a black Porsche 365A. It was _Gin's car_.

X

It was the morning of the second day since he was kidnapped. Conan woke up to find some tea and bread waiting for him on the table and no elusive thief in sight. He yawned and rubbed his eyes blearily. He and Kid had talked deep into the night yesterday. Now that he knew the Black Organisation was involved, he has to take it seriously.

He has to find out what was it in the DeBeers exhibition that warranted the death of one of their members. He needed to know why Hans Voldeck a.k.a. Amaretto had been murdered and left for the public to find; for President Hasegawa to find. But above all, he needed to know if any of this was related to Kaitou Kid in any way.

If Kid has somehow put a wrench in the Black Organisation's plans, they would not hesitate to kill Kid. Much as Conan wanted justice to be served to Kid, he didn't want to see him dead. The thought actually made his heart clench a little. Although he and Kid didn't have the best track record, they have become unlikely friends. Not that Conan would admit it. Ever.

Point was, Conan didn't want the Black Organisation to think that Kid was, in any way, a threat. The key was to figure out what they wanted.

A knock on the door startled him out of his reverie. "Tantei-kun," came Kid's voice from the other side of the door. "Let me in. I lost my key card."

Conan sighed and opened the door for his captor. "You didn't lose your key card."

Kid was wearing Kudo Shinichi's face today. Conan barely refrained from growling his displeasure. Kid grinned. "You're right. I just wanted you to open the door for me. You haven't eaten your breakfast yet. Come on, hurry up. We have lots to do today."

"Oh? What's the plan?"

"I arranged a meeting with President Hasegawa."

Conan did a double take. "Of the DeBeers? How did you manage that?"

"Easy! I'm Takahashi Mashiro, a wealthy business interested in investing in his company, and you're my adorable son, Akito."

"No, I'm not."

"Would you rather be my underaged lover, Yuiichi? Because that would be quite scandalous!" grinned Kid mischievously.

Conan gaped at him, dumfounded with disbelief. "There is something wrong with you, you know that?"

"I pride myself on it. Now eat your breakfast, Akito."

The meeting with President Hasegawa took place in the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art itself. Due to the scale of the exhibition, President Hasegawa had chosen to come down and oversee the preparation for its grand opening tomorrow himself. He heartily welcomed Takahashi Mashiro to assist him in inspecting the precious gems being set up in bulletproof glass cases in different corners of the museum.

At first, Conan was a little confused. Kid's main goal was the Millennium Star which was being shipped from Tokyo to Osaka right now. The logical move, for him, would be to steal it now. Why investigate Hasegawa when he knew Conan was more than capable of doing that? Wasn't that the reason Kid brought him on to this case in the first place?

Then, he saw Kid bend over slightly and said in a low voice, "These are all beautiful, president, but I was wondering where your most precious stone is. I had come here in hopes of seeing it."

"Ah, the Millennium Star," said Hasegawa, eyes glinting. "I'm afraid it's not here. It's being moved from Tokyo to Osaka today."

"Really? Are you sure you're not keeping that treasure to yourself right now?"

Hasegawa flitted his gaze to the side briefly before laughing. "Of course not, Mr. Takahashi. You are soon to be a valued investor. I would not hide our best from you."

As the meeting drew to a close, Conan saw his chance and pulled on the hem of Kid's tailored jacket. "_Otou-san_, I want ice-cream!"

"Not now, Akito," said Kid in his fake voice, patting Conan's small hand.

"I want it _now_!" said Conan petulantly.

Kid sighed and gave President Hasegawa an apologetic look. "I apologise. Allow me to tend to my child."

"It's alright. We were already wrapping up." said Hasegawa. "The exit is -"

"I know the way. You do not need to send us. Thank you for having us today, president." Kid bade Hasegawa a friendly goodbye before whisking Conan off. The moment Hasegawa turned his back to them, the two of them snuck behind an alcove, out of his sight, and sneaked into the next room. Kid smiled at Conan. "You saw it, right?"

Conan nodded. "The way he reacted when you mentioned the Star was a little strange. How did you know that it was already here?"

"I didn't. It was guesswork. Good thing it paid off." Kid looked at the flight of stairs leading up to the second floor of the museum's new wing. It was built just last month that this was the first exhibition that would extend all the way there. "He looked over here when I mentioned the diamond, didn't he?"

Kid stalked towards the flight of stairs but stopped when Conan grabbed his arm. "Don't go."

Kid stared at him. "What?"

"This is too easy. There must be something else going on here."

Just then, they heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction. Kid dragged Conan into a nearby alcove and unlocked his suitcase. From it, he pulled out a janitor's uniform, which he quickly slipped into. Conan gaped, slack-jawed, as Kid ripped off the face of Takahashi Mashiro, pulled on the mask of a nondescript old man, and effortlessly transformed into the janitor of the museum.

"Come on, little boy. Let's find your parents," Kid croaked in another fake voice, pulling Conan along quickly so that they would pass by unnoticed by the newcomers.

But Conan resisted. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and refused to budge. "I'm not going," he said softly so that only Kid could hear him.

Kid stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"There's something else I need to check out." Conan wrenched his hand out of Kid's grip, not noticing the crestfallen look on Kid's face when he did so. "Go back to the hotel and wait for me. I promise I won't run away."

Kid shook his head. "I'm not letting you go anywhere alone. It's too dangerous."

Conan looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? You know who I am. I can handle myself."

"It's because I know who you are that I don't want to leave you by yourself," hissed Kid angrily. "I feel like the minute I turn away, you're going to do some foolish act that will either kill you or make you a hero."

Conan was taken back at that. "Kid... I don't ... it's not like I want to go looking for trouble-"

"Yeah, right," snorted Kid. "You're a detective. It's your _job_ to look for trouble. All I'm asking is - all I'm asking is that for my sake ... please don't."

Conan was confused. He's never seen Kid like this before. And the stuff that he was saying - it sounded like...

From the corner of his eye, Conan saw President Hasegawa slip up the stairs to the new wing. "I don't have time for this right now. Wait for me at the hotel, okay? Don't do anything else. Kid!" said Conan loudly when Kid refused to look at him. "Kid, just do as I say." With that, he ran after Hasegawa.

He crept up the stairs stealthily and jumped behind a pillar when the man turned sideways to observe one of the exhibits. As Hasegawa continued to stare at one of the diamonds, Conan vied for a better vantage point from behind the pillar. That was when Hasegawa spoke. "I know you're there, little detective. Would you please come out so we can talk?"

X

Kid dangled his legs off the edge of the roof of the museum. He was still wearing the face and outfit of a janitor. People were staring and pointing at him as they walked past, probably wondering how a supposedly geriatric man like him managed to climb all the way up there.

Under normal circumstances, Kid was more discreet. He understood subtlety like it was his mistress and used it as often as possible. At this moment, however, Kid was in loathe with it and wished to shout out to the whole world his true identity.

'I AM KAITOU KID,' he would shout. 'I AM KUROBA KAITO.'

_I am in love with a detective, who is physically half my age and cares nothing for me._

"Thus is the tragedy of my life," he laughed quietly to himself.

He didn't remember when he started having these ... feelings. It was as if he woke up one day and realised that he was actually in love with his best rival. Before he knew it, he was counting down the days to his next heist so he could tease and goad Edogawa Conan again. He spent more time designing riddles he knew would positively infuriate the diminutive detective. And, to his regret, with his new obsession, whatever affection he had held for his childhood friend, Aoko, faded into fondness.

It was truly regrettable. Aoko was the smart choice. Sure, her father was a police officer who was hell-bent on putting him behind bars but with Aoko, Kid had a sure chance. She was a smart girl who would, more than likely, return his feelings.

Conan however...

Conan was as cold as the frost of winter's first snow. His words were witty and biting and he brushed off advances as easily as shrugging. Worst of all, Kid was quite sure that Conan was still very much infatuated with his old childhood friend - that girl, Ran. He'd seen the way he looked at her; eyes wide and smiling in spite of himself.

It made Kid all kinds of uncomfortable. It made him wish he'd never met Conan, because if he had not known Conan, he would still be in love with Aoko.

It was a stupid move, really, to kidnap Conan. But Kid really needed his help in this case and his love for theatricality had been hard to deny. Also, this was the most time he had spent with Conan, ever. He was enjoying himself, truth be told, despite the obvious threat against his life.

Conan was still cold and biting and all the things Kid loved about him, and Kid relished whatever scrap of time and attention the detective gave him. It was truly pathetic. If this job didn't kill him, Kid was convinced he would have to kill himself for all this inconvenience he had brought upon himself.

But now, he was due for a break-in.

Kid stretched his arms and pulled himself to stand on the roof. The people below him began to scream and panic, thinking that he was about to jump off and kill himself. Kid laughed. _No, if I die, it will be with a big bang. _In a blaze of glory, to quote the American, Bon Jovi. He brushed dirt of his pants and prepared to infiltrate the museum's new wing.

Just because he loved Conan didn't mean he was going to do as he said. If there was one thing about Kid that everyone should know was that he _hated_ taking orders. From anyone.

X

Conan stepped out in plain view. President Hasegawa was smirking at him from over his shoulder. There was a dangerous glint in his eye that Conan has learnt long ago to be wary around. Hasegawa sighed in mock exasperation and tutted. "I thought I pulled it off really well this time too. So, what gave me away?"

"Nothing actually," said Conan. Hasegawa's eyebrows jumped in surprise. "But the way you looked so quickly at the new wing when Kid mentioned the diamond... it felt way too easy. A person who just found a corpse in front of his office building several days ago would be more cautious with people, don't you think, Vermouth?"

"You never cease to amaze me, Silver Bullet."

Conan scowled heavily. "I wish you would stop calling me that." He scanned his surroundings. The new wing of the museum was immaculate; white marble, beige carpeting and countless CCTVs all over the place. Conan was willing to bet that more than half of them have been disabled by Vermouth. "So tell me, why are you trying to trap Kid?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't bother trying to lie to me. You purposely made us think that the Millennium Star was hidden somewhere in this building, didn't you? You couldn't have known that he was bringing me along, which means all this was to capture Kid. Why? Does this have anything to do with Voldeck's death or the rescheduling of this exhibition?"

Vermouth laughed. "You already know about Voldeck?"

Conan nodded. "Amaretto, right?"

"You really do work fast, little detective. But you know, I can't tell you _everything_," said Vermouth. "But here's a tip: tell your magician boyfriend that if he wants to keep his life, he will stay out of this. There are larger things happening here and we'd rather not deal with the two of you."

"Come on now, like you think I would really stay out of your business after hearing you say that," said Conan with an easy smirk. However, he dropped it when he said this: "And what do you mean by 'boyfriend'?"

Vermouth laughed again, louder. "Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you?" Before Conan could press her further, she said, "Ooh, wait, I think I hear him coming now. He's falling right into my trap, little detective. What are you going to do about it?"

What was Vermouth talking about? He told Kid to go back to the hotel. There was no way he was - Conan heard a sharp yelp and a loud clang that reverberated in the long, large hall.

Vermouth grinned gleefully. "I think he found the safe and I think..." She took out her mobile phone and flipped it open. "Yes, he fell into my trap."

Conan was dumbstruck. What should he do? This sudden turn of events have caught him by such surprise that he didn't know what first to do.

"You know, if you don't try and get him out, he's going to die in there." Vermouth pointed towards the end of the hallway. Her lips twisted into an ugly grin. "You have ten minutes."

Conan gritted his teeth in frustration. He was caught between the choice of forcing out more truths from Vermouth and saving that incredible nuisance of a thief. But Kid could handle himself right? He practically made a living out of escaping impossible situations. He was a magician _and _a thief. Did he really need any help from Conan?

Vermouth continued to smirk. "Nine minutes."

Conan cursed and ran. Towards Kid. Towards the screaming that was now becoming more evident. He ran past the double doors, down the stairs and past the door to the basement that has been thrown wide open.

It was a large walk-in safe, state-of-the-art, with biometric iris and fingerprint scan. It has glass walls and a machine attached to the side which slowly sucked out oxygen from the safe from whenever it was opened.

Through the glass walls, Conan could see Kid trapped inside the safe. His eyes were wide with horror and he was beating his fists against the wall as the air he needed to breath was vacuumed out of the safe bit by bit. Conan's heart stopped in his chest.

Six minutes.

* * *

_TBC_


End file.
